Selling the Evening
by TigerButterflied
Summary: A charity bachelor's auction brings some interesting results. Sandles! Rating may change.
1. Chapter 1

Selling the Evening

chapter one

This is my answer to a friend's brilliant story suggestion. I have altered it a tiny bit, but not much. Remoob, this one's for you.

Characters aren't mine...

"A bachelor's auction, Conrad?" Gil Grissom's voice was laced with incredulity.

"Yes, Gil. I'm sure you're familiar with the concept - the guys you pick will go on stage, and women will bid on the chance to go out with them. Each man will bring with him a different evening's adventure - a number of local businesses have donated prizes, meals out, movies, concert tickets, that sort of thing. Most of the men will be from the LVPD, but we at the lab have been asked to help out as well. Of course I told them we'd be delighted."

"Of course." Grissom sighed heavily. "Conrad, I really can't ask my men to participate in such a..."

Ecklie snorted and shook his head. " Of course you can. The money is going to buy Christmas presents for the families of LVPD officers killed in action. I'll be needing a minimum of four guys from your shift. They have to be single. "

"I'll give it my best. All I can do is ask them; whether or not they choose to participate is not up to me."

Ecklie patted him on the shoulder. "Try hard, Gil. If you come up with less than four, the ladies will be bidding on YOU.

lookingforcsisforrentcsisforrent

"Okay... Let me get this straight. You want us to allow ourselves to be auctioned off to the highest bidder."

Grissom cleared his throat. "Actually what's being sold is an evening of your company, David. I doubt seriously that alone would bring in much, but I'm sure that someone somewhere will place a bid once they see that the evening includes a very nice dinner, perhaps a show afterward..."

Nick leaned forward. "What about the married guys, and the ones with girlfriends?"

"I'm not asking the married guys, and last I heard none of you were seeing anyone. Was I mistaken?" Silence greeted the question.

"Well, I'm up for it. " Greg Sanders grinned. "It could be fun. Do I have to put out?"

Grissom sighed and rubbed his temples. "No, Greg, you don't - but I'm sure that, given the chance, you will."

"Only with the right lady... I'm not easy, you know."

"Thank you so much for that. So I have one definite. Nick? Archie?"

Nick shot Greg a dirty look. "I will so bring in a higher price than you, Sanders."

"Maybe you will, and maybe you won't. How about you, Hodges - you joining us, or are you afraid you'll go unsold, like a big old nasty mushy cantaloupe at the bottom of the pile?"

Hodges leaned forward. "Yeah, I'm in. And I'LL probably bring a higher price than you do. Real ladies appreciate class, you know."

"I don't see what class has to do with you -"

"Gentlemen, gentlemen! Archie, will you be participating?"

"Yeah, I'm in."

"Very good. And now for the evening's cases..."

auctionnightauctionnightauctionnight

Backstage LVPD Charity Bachelor's auction

"Your tie is straight, Arch. You look great. Sit down and wait for you number to be called." Nick Stokes was wearing black jeans, a western shirt with bolo tie, and a white cowboy hat. He sat on a long, low sofa between Greg and Hodges.

"What's your number?"

"Nine."

"I'm eight." Nick took off his hat, ran his hand through his hair, then put the hat back on.

Archie swallowed hard. "They just called six."

"I'm seven." Hodges smiled over at Greg. "Mr. Selling-for-Three-Bucks Sanders is number ten."

Greg rolled his eyes. "Don't be nervous, Archie. Look at it this way - you're going to end up on a date with someone you know going into it really REALLY wants to go out with you - and you don't even have to pay!"

Archie blushed. "Yeah, well... this is still embarassing."

"You shouldn't be embarassed. You look great!" Nick patted him on the shoulder.

"Now if you were dressed like Hodges..." Greg raised his eyebrows and grinned. "How old is that suit, David? Is that polyester double knit you're wearing?"

"It's new, and it's silk, Mr. Not-Enough-Class-For-A-Tux-But-His-Skinny-Ass-Rented-One-Anyway. "

"Will Bachelor Seven please come with me?" A short Asian man stuck his head into the room.

"And now it's just us three." Greg smirked at Nick. "You're next."

"That I am. Be glad to get this over with."

Archie sighed. "I'm feeling queasy."

Greg pulled a roll of mints from his pocket. "Peppermint's good for nausea. Have a couple."

"Thanks."

Nick sighed. "I can't believe I let Grissom rope me into this."

"Believe it."

"I noticed that you didn't put up much of a fight, Sanders."

Greg shrugged. "Why fight it? We knew when we went into the room that Grissom was going to get what he wanted. He always does. Besides, I had my reasons."

"You wanted to get laid."

He chuckled. "No, nothing like that."

"Do tell?..."

"Bachelor Eight, please come with me."

"And then there were two."

Archie smiled nervously. "I hope someone bids on me."

"Of course someone will bid on you. That goes without saying. Besides, Jackie's out there just to make sure. The bids are done electronically, so no one would ever know it was her. Confidence, Archie - if you don't have it, fake it."

"Is that what you do?"

"Sometimes."

Archie went to the mirror and pulled at his tie. "You look fine. Leave it alone or you'll mess it up."

"Bachelor Nine, please come with me."

"See you at the lab, Archie."

showtimeshowtimeshowtimeshowtime

"Bachelor Ten, it's your turn."

"And now, last but not least, CSI Greg Sanders..."

Greg walked slowly across the stage and turned.

"An evening with Mr. Sanders begins when a stretch limo pulls up to your house to take you to a lovely gourmet dinner at the Bellagio, followed by a show at the Comedy Club. Bidding begins at three dollars. Do I have three dollars? We have three dollars... somebody give us four... Ten dollars... Twenty... twenty-five..."

Greg squinted but couldn't see who was bidding. Obviously someone was, more than one someone because the numbers were quickly going up and quickly.

"One hundred dollars... one hundred twenty-five... I have one hundred fifty... One hundred eighty... two hundred..."

The stage lights were hot, and Greg stood blinded by their glare as the bids kept coming...

"Two-twenty... two hundred fifty dollars... Three hundred dollars. I have three hundred dollars. Going once, going twice, sold to bidder number eighty-seven."

afterthesaleafterthesale

"So how do we find out who won us?" Archie spoke as he changed into his work clothes.

"Ask the guy who escorted us out; he'll give you your lady's name and number." Nick smirked. "Catherine had mercy on me. She thought I was worth three hundred. "

Archie sighed. "I sold for seventy-five. No idea who the buyer was."

"Don't feel bad. I think Brass went for twenty." Greg buttoned up his shirt.

"How about you, Sanders? Did you bring ten bucks?"

"Try three hundred. How about you, Hodges?"

Hodges looked away. "Don't worry about me - worry about who in their right mind would pay three hundred dollars to spend an evening in your company."

"Probably Catherine." Nick tied his shoes as he spoke.

"What was Catherine's number?"

"Fourteen."

"Not her, then. I was bought by bidder number eight-seven."

"That's... let's see, that's Miss Sara Sidle." The man who had led them to the stage smiled over at Greg. "You look surprised. Do you know her?"

Greg glanced over at Nick, whose raised eyebrows and sudden silence expressed his astonishment better than words ever could. "Yes, I, um, I know her pretty well. Maybe I got the number wrong."

"You're Greg Sanders? No, you have the number right. Miss Sidle was in a fierce bidding war with a Wendy... can't read the last name. Here, I'll give you her contact info."

"Not necessary. I'll be seeing her in an hour..."

laterthatnightlaterthatnightlaterthatnight

"So, Sara, I heard you forked over three hundred for our little Greggo. That's, what, two bucks a pound?"

Sara snorted. "Just rescuing a friend from the indignity of being sold like a cow at a meat auction."

"I see." Nick smirked. "I noticed you didn't bid on me at all. Aren't we friends?"

"It's not the same. Besides, Catherine bought you."

"Yeah, but YOU didn't know that. I'll tell you what I think. I think you like G more than you want to let on."

"Of course I like him! We're close friends. I wanted... wanted to make sure he sold for a good price, so that he'd feel good about himself."

Nick laughed. "That's really good. I'd believe that more, if you were either richer or nicer, but I know you, and you didn't fork our three hundred clams for Greg's self-esteem."

"Then why did I do it, Nick, when I could have a date with him for free just for asking?"

"Because you didn't want him getting bought by Wendy. And I have to go, because here comes your new purchase. I'm sure you'd rather check his teeth in private."

"Greg."

"So. Sara." Greg shoved his hands deep into his pockets. "I, um, the man at the bachelor auction told me you were my winning bidder, so I thought I'd, um, you know..."

"Yeah. We, ah, we need to work out the details." She smiled tightly.

"Yeah. We do." He cleared his throat. "So I was looking at the schedule, and I saw that we're both off next Tuesday. I was thinking, if that works for you maybe I could come by at five or six and pick you up. If that's good for you, that is."

"That's... that's great."

"They're, um, they gave us a limo for the evening."

"Wow!"

"Yeah. We, um, we'd better go take report."


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry this is so slow in making its way to you, but I've reworked this scene several times but never liked the results. Today I just scrapped what I had and began again, and this is what happened. One more chap to go. 

"So tell me again why we're all crammed in a limo together?" Sara glowered at Hodges, who sat across from us.

"Conrad said that this is what the limo company promised. The others will have to double up as well." He grinned at me. "I would think that you would appreciate a little refined company, given that your date is this guy."

I raised my hand and silently mouthed "Kiss my ass," to Hodges, then smiled over at Sara. "His date lives just a few blocks from the restaurant. I know, 'cause his date is Jackie. She was the only one who bid on him, wasn't she, Hodges?"

Hodges forced a smile. "I'm just glad she won. Always have liked Jackie. And here we are." He waited for the limo to stop, then hopped out to collect his date.

"Wow, I didn't know we'd be having a party." Jackie grinned at Greg as she slid in across from him. "You look smashing in a suit."

I grinned. "You're one classy babe tonight yourself, Jackie."

"Quit flirting with my date, Sanders. " Hodges slipped his arm around the back of Jackie's seat. "You have a lady of your own to entertain."

I looked at Sara and grinned. "And a lovelier lady I could not hope for," I said in agreement.

"Aren't you the charmer?"

"I try."

"Usually unsuccessfully," sniped Hodges.

"I think this is our restuarant," said Jackie cheerfully. "We'll be dining at separate tables, won't we?"

"Of course, my dear. Watching Greg Sanders wolf down enough food to give a Sumo wrestler indigestion is something you shouldn't have to endure."

"Shut up, Hodges." I raised an eyebrow at Sara, who turned to smirk at me. "What? It needed to be said."

Moments later, we were seated at our table, mercifully at the opposite end of the restaurant from our companions. "Poor Jackie," I said as I lifted my wine glass.

Sara shrugged. "At least the limo ride is a short one." She put her hand on my forearm. "Let's concentrate on dinner right now."

I grinned. "Of course. What are you thinking about getting?..."


	3. Chapter 3

Here's another short chapter. Prolly 1 more to go. 

Since Sara was a vegetarian I figured she wouldn't appreciate her date narfing down rare steak, so I settled on what she'd ordered, the eggplant parmesan. We talked about work as we waited for our food - nothing whets the appetite like discussing decomposing bodies, after all - and watched Jackie and Hodges across the room. "Greg, I think they're actually flirting with each other."

"No way." I shot what I hoped appeared to be an offhand glance their way. "Oh, shit. Sara, he just kissed her."

"I see that. She's kissing him back. How much wine has she had?"

"Your dinner." Our tall, rather effeminate waiter placed our meals in front of us. "More wine?"

Sara looked at me, her eyebrows raised. "For sure. We have the night off, right, Greg?"

"Absolutely. And a limo to take us home." I waited for the waiter to leave, then leaned forward. "They're like lovebirds over there, Sara. They are seriously sucking face."

"Oh, yeah. Evidently Jackie wasn't just being nice."

"Evidently." I took another sip of my wine. "How about you, Sara? Were YOU just being nice when you bought me?"

She snorted. "Greg, you sold for three hundred dollars. What do YOU think?"

"I don't know." I smiled and dropped my voice. "I know what I'd like to think, but I don't want to presume more is there than actually is."

She smiled and forked up a bite of her dinner. "Then let's just enjoy ourselves for now and not worry about it."

The rest of the meal went well. Jackie and Hodges stopped making out long enough to eat, which was good because I was beginning to wonder if they'd be naked before our chocolate mocha gelato arrived. I mean, I was as voyeuristic as the next guy, but watching coworkers copulate during dinner was a little over the line even for me. Anyhow, back in the limo Sara and I were in deep discussion about a recent death by electrocution when the loving couple slipped in across from us. Hodges yawned theatrically.

"You know," said Hodges as the limo pulled out, "Jackie and I are older than you two, and we're a little tired."

"Tired." Sara glanced from David to Jackie, then back. "It's nine o'clock."

"We've decided to pass on the comedy club part of the evening." Jackie's tone was matter-of-fact, but her expression let me know I was expected to provide no smart comments. "After the limo drops you two off, we're going to get him to take us home. He'll be back for you long before the show is over."

"Okay." I glanced at Sara, who was biting her cheek to hold back laughter. "That works."

Later at our table in the comedy club, Sara let loose. "They're going to her place." We both knew Hodges had a roommate.

"Yup." I took a sip of my amaretto sour. "They're probably doing the deed right now."

"Eww!" She frowned for a moment. "They probably are."

"What I want to know is this: They have been working together for what, two years? All that time and nothing, and now, all of a sudden they hook up. Why now?"

She shrugged. "Maybe she likes to get her money's worth."

I raised my eyebrow in what I hoped was a provocative gesture. "I understand that Mr. Hodges sold for fifty dollars. You gave three hundred for me."

She smiled. "Yes, I did, didn't I?" She looked me over assessingly. "So, Greg, will I be getting my money's worth as well?"

I leaned close and whispered into her ear. "I certainly hope so."


	4. Chapter 4

Selling the Evening ch. 4 

"We should not have gotten the limo driver to take us by the liquor store." Sara was shaking her finger at me as she spoke.

"Probably not, but we did." I smirked at her.

"And - and we should not have gotten him to drop both of us off at your place, when we know that neither of us was going to be ready to drive for a long, long, long time."

"Probably not, yet here we are."

"And - and you probably shouldn't be doing that thing with your mouth on my neck like that, even though I really really like it and don't want you to stop." She ran her fingers through my hair as she spoke.

"Yeah, but I'm not gonna stop unless you tell me to, " I mumured against her skin.

Her voice dropped. "Greg?"

"Yeah, Sara?"

"We're probably gonna do it tonight, aren't we?"

"Unless you tell me to stop, yeah, we probably are." I sucked on her ear for emphasis. "It's your call."

"Greg?"

"Ummmm?"

"I don't think I want you to stop tonight." She hesitated. "Even though you probably should I don't want you to stop. Is that okay?"

"Oh, Sara, that is way more than okay, " I murmured against her throat. "That is stupendously, fantastically, amazingly wonderful... "And then I covered her lips with mine, and neither of us said anything else for quite a while.


End file.
